Wrestling

Wrestling Finishes Ninth at Ashland Open
         The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville wrestling team placed ninth out of 14 teams at the Ashland Open this past weekend.
         Ashland won the meet with a score of 213, while the Cougars scored 51 points.
         “This was a great competition for us,” said SIUE wrestling coach Khris Whelan. “These will be the guys they will see in the regional later in the year. It went well. It was good for a lot of our guys.”
         The Cougars, 0-3 overall, will be back in action on Dec. 18 against Indiana and UW-Whitewater in Chicago.
         Joe Rujawitz (Belleville) improved to 6-5 on the year with a fourth place finish at 149 pounds at Ashland. Rujawitz notched a 3-2 record over the weekend.
         “Joe wrestled tough,” said Whelan. “He is starting to open up again.”
         John Ficht (Burbank) was one of three Cougars to finish in fifth place at 165 pounds. Ficht leads the team with a 9-4 mark. He recorded a 3-2 record on the weekend.
         “He is really doing a great job,” said Whelan.
         Sean Mead (St. Louis, Mo.) improved to 5-5 on the season after going 5-2 at 125 pounds at Ashland. Mead placed fifth in his weight class.
         “This is the first college tournament he has placed in,” said Whelan. “He wrestled well.”
         Tyler Swearingen (East Peoria) also placed fifth at 141 pounds for the Cougars. Swearingen went 3-2 at Ashland to go to 4-7 on the year.
         “Tyler did a good job,” said Whelan. “He wrestled really hard.”
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                  -siue cougars-